Safety-switch.



PATENTED DEG. 11, 1906.

8.. .JH mm I W MS Y @T m W APPLICATION FILED 001.28. 1905, RENEWED JULY 30, 1906' '2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Allorney PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

w. R. GOOHRAN', JR. SAFETY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED OU'IXZ. 1905. RENEWED JULY 30, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS cm. WASHINGTON, n. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

WILLIAM R. COOHRAN, JR, OF DELPHOS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHELBY SAFETY SWITCH COMPANY, OF SHELBY, OHIO.

SAFETYL-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed October 28,1905. Renewed July 30,1906. Serial No. 328.436.

tain new and useful Improvements in Safety- Switches; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in safety-switches, the object of the invention being to provide improved mechanism for throwing a switch, improved means formaintaining the main track locked open, and improved mechanism held by the passing wheels to hold the siding open until a train passes thereon or therefrom and be automatically elevated out of the way and the siding closed, thus always maintaining the main track open except when a train is passing onto or from the siding.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view in section on the line w :c of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a view showing the relation of the lever 8 and bar 9 to the rail. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the features shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the manner of mounting the lever 8 and attaching it to the rail.

1 1 represent the rails of the main track, 2 2 the rails of a siding, and 3 3 the hinged switch-point rails. A rod 4 extends beneath the rails and is connected with the switchpoints and is operated by my improvements, hereinafter described, to throw the switch and to hold the switch-points in position to guide a train onto or from the siding until the entire train has passed, when the points will be automatically thrown to close the siding and open the main track and maintain the main track open until the switch is again manually operated.

' Plates 5 are secured at regular intervals to the bottom of the rails 1 1 of the main track and project outward therefrom. These plates 5 are preferably made with upturned inner ends to engage the inner base-flanges of the rails and have clips 6 secured on the plates to engage the outer base-flanges of the rails and effectually secure the plates thereto. Standards 7 are secured on the plates 5, and levers 8 are pivoted between their ends to the standards and support at their inner ends bars 9, the outer ends of the levers 8 being weighted to assist the automatic safetyswitch operating means, hereinafter described, to normally hold the bars 9 elevated and out of contact with the rails 1 1.

At one side of the main track, adjacent to Y the switch, a horizontally-movable lever 10 is pivotally supported between its ends, and one end of this lever is pivotally secured to rod 4, above referred to, while the ends of said lever 10 are connected by rods 11 with levers 8 at the sides of the track, said connection between rods 11 and levers 8 being at the weighted end of the latter and at a point below its pivotal mounting, so that a movement of the rods 11 toward the track will elevate bars 9, and an outward movement of the rods 11 will draw the bars 9 down against the outer edges of the rail-treads in position to be held down by the wheels of a passing train.

12 represents my improved switch-stand,

having a horizontal shaft 13 mounted to turn therein and provided at one end with a normally horizontal crank-arm 14, connected by a rod 15 with one end of the rod 4, so that by turning this shaft 13 the switch-points will be thrown and the bars 9 operated.

The shaft 13 projects through an upright or standard 16 and has a crank-arm 17 on this end, and a lever 18 is pivoted near one end to standard 16 and connected at its shorter end by a link 19 with crank-arm 17, and aweight 20 is located on the other or handholdend of lever 18 to depress and normally hold depressed this end of the lever. Alock 18 is supported by an arm 18 on standard 16, and the lever 18, when it falls, enters a forked bracket 18 on arm 18 and is automatically locked and cannot be released until a key unlocks the look. A lamp 21 is supported at the upper end of standard 16 and a semaphore is mounted between its ends at the upper end of the standard and connected by a link 22 with lever 18, so that the signal will be operated with the switch and always indicate the position of the switch-points.

The operation of my improvements is as follows. When the parts are in normal position with main track open and siding closed, the bars 9 will be supported in an elevated position away from rails 1 1, so that trains may pass freely along the main track with 14 to swing toward the track and move rod 15 in that direction to throw the switch-points to open the siding, and such movement of rods 15, 4, and 11 also swings levers 10 and causes levers 8 to move bars 9 down against the rails, so that the wheels of the train in passing will hold the bars 9 depressed and maintain the switch-points in their position until a train has passed entirely onto or from the siding, when the weighted parts above described will cause all parts to return to their former positions with the main track open and siding closed, thus always maintaining a clear main track except when the lever 18 is elevated or a train is passing onto or from the siding.

With my improved bars 9 any roughness of the rails cannot interfere with the perfect operation of the mechanism, as would be the case with constructions heretofore known, and as the crank-arm 14 is normally horizontal when the main track is open it affords a lock, preventing accidental movement of the switch-points.

Slight changes might be made in the relative arrangement of parts herein shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to con fine myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a main track, and switch-rails, of a series of pivoted levers mounted in proximity to the main track, a

bar supported by said levers, connections between said levers and the switch-rails for moving the latter, means connected with said levers for moving the bar in position to be engaged and held down by the wheels of a car, and means for maintaining said bar normally out of reach of the wheels of the car.

2. The combination with a main track and switch-rails, of a movable bar disposed in proximity to the main track, connections between said bar and switch-rails, means for moving the bar in position to be engaged and held depressed by the wheels of a car and for simultaneously throwing the switch rails, means for moving said bar away from the track after the car has passed and for simultaneously throwing the switch-rails in the reverse direction, and means for maintaining the bar normally out of reach of the wheels of the car.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with switch-points, and counterbalanced means for moving the switch-points and normally holding them in position to give a clear main track, of a series of levers pivoted between their ends beside the main track, a bar carried by said levers and normally held thereby elevated and away from the track, and means connecting the levers with the switch-throwing means, so that when the switch-points are thrown to open the siding the bar will be moved beside the main track to be engaged by the wheels of a passing train and all movable parts held thereby until the train has safely passed the switch.

4. The combination with a main track, a siding, and movable switch-points, of a counterbalanced means for moving the switchpoints and normally holding the points in position to insure a clear main track, of a series of levers pivoted between their ends, located beside the main track and weighted at one end, a bar carried by the other ends of said levers and normally held thereby in an elevated position away from the track, and connecting means between the switch-throwing means so that when the latter is operated the bar will be moved to a position to be engaged by the wheels of a passing train.

5. The combination with a main track, a siding, and movable switch-points, of counterbalanced switch-throwing means normally holding the switch-points in position to maintain a clear main track, outwardly-projecting plates secured to the rails of the main track, standards on said plates, levers pivoted between their ends to said standards and having weighted outer ends, bars carried by the inner ends of the levers and normally held thereby elevated and out of control with the rails, means connecting the levers at both sides of the track with the switch-throwing means so that both bars will be moved beside the rails of the main track when the points are thrown I I 5 to open the siding and will be held in such position by the wheels of a passing train until the latter is safely over the switch when the parts will assume their former normal position with main track open.

6. The combination with a main track, a siding, and movable switch points, of a switch-stand, a horizontal shaft thereon, a rod connected with the switchpoints, a crank-arm on the shaft connected with the rod I 2 5 andnormallyin horizontal locking osition to maintain an open main track, anot er crankarm on said shaft, a pivoted lever, a link connecting one end of said lever with the lastmentioned crank-arm, a weight on the other 13 end of the lever, an automatic lock to engage In testimony whereof I have signed this the lever and lock it in position to maintain specification in the presence of two subscriba clear main track, a signal operated by the ing witnesses.

lever, and means operated by a passing train WILLIAM R. COCHRAN, JR. 5 to hold the parts against movement when the Witnesses:

siding is open, and out of contact with the O. N. BREASE,

train when the main track is open. E. G. MACKENZIE. 

